Opinion

OPINION: Trump’s Effort To Secure Border Helps Americans, Hispanic Community Alike

Anna Paulina Contributor
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None who lived through the 2016 presidential campaign could forget how the media attacked President Trump, and tried to use the Hispanic demographic to do so.

During that period of time, I reached out to a nonprofit that combats child sex trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trafficking is a cause that all Americans should be able to agree to combat regardless of political ties. Yet, during Trump’s campaign, much of the media ignored this very big problem. In fact, the media made a point to repeat that President Trump was anti-Hispanic and anti-immigrant, and painted a very different picture of a man who many of us view as a patriot.

Fast forward to today, where Hispanic unemployment is at a record low of 4.5 percent, college enrollment is up, high-school dropout rates are lower than ever, and economic opportunity is at a record high for all Americans. You have to wonder how this man and his entire administration have been able to succeed, given that 92 percent of the media coverage they receive is negative.

Hispanics — specifically those of Mexican descent — are the largest voting minority in the United States. Is it any wonder that we, Hispanic-Americans, are told that he hates us, that conservatives are anti-immigrant and that to vote Republican is to betray your race? Because of that, it’s not always easy to admit you’re a Trump supporter. It was not easy for me at first, even within my own family.

Many young Hispanic Americans are having trouble expressing their true political and philosophical beliefs to their family and friends because to support Trump and his administration is viewed by many as being a traitor to one’s race largely in part due to the manipulation of the border “crisis” via the media.

Young Hispanics throughout the country have faced conflict with friends and family because of their knowledge of the truth. Trump is not “xenophobic,” and he does not hate random people because of their race, religion or ideology.

The facts about illegal immigration have been acknowledged by the Department of Justice, the State Department, the CIA, the University of California Berkeley’s Human Rights Center and even the American Civil Liberties Union. It is directly correlated to human trafficking, organized crime and drug trafficking. It is deadly not just for the people of the United States but the people of Mexico and South America as well. University of San Diego researchers have estimated that nearly 2.5 million victims of human trafficking from Mexico may be in the United States.

You can find footage of countless Democratic officials, from President Obama to the Clintons, talking favorably time and time again about the exact policies President Trump is now enforcing. The reality is that securing the border will not just help Americans, it will help countless victims from other countries as well.

An unsecured border gets people killed on both sides. The border towns of Tijuana and Juarez have broken homicide records due to warring factions of the cartels fighting over trafficking into the U.S. The immigrant caravan is now at its most dangerous part of the journey, where many will be exposed to traffickers, corrupt police officials, and essentially left to fend for themselves.

Securing our borders will prevent people in the future from engaging in a dangerous journey, and being subsequently being sold, raped or otherwise exploited. At what point do we stop politicking and realize that this is not just about immigration and a strong border? It’s about the value and sanctity of human life.

When will the media acknowledge that in the United States, our laws exist to protect people? In this case, the law seeks to protect not only Americans, but those who would risk their own lives in order to illegally enter a country where they hope to attain the American dream.

When people ask what Trump has done to engage the Hispanic community, it’s safe to answer with the facts. The facts about our economy, the facts about combating human trafficking, and the facts about what secure borders will do for all people.

At the end of the day, President Trump serves America, regardless of whether we are black, white, Hispanic or Asian. In serving this country, he serves us all.

Anna Paulina (@RealAnnaPaulina)  served in the Air Force as an E-4 senior airman and is presently the director of Hispanic engagement for Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit aimed at encouraging student civic engagement.


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.